Operating room for small engines

Friday

Jun 15, 2007 at 2:00 AMJun 15, 2007 at 6:21 AM

Fate decided early on that Adam Fullerton would become a handyman's handyman.

Fate decided early on that Adam Fullerton would become a handyman's handyman.

He owns Adam's Small Engine Repair on Spring Street, Hyannis, just off Route 28, where an increasing number of do-it-yourself homeowners turn when the mower they pull out of the shed after a winter's idleness just won't start or the power chainsaw won't cut.

It's also where a growing number of professional landscapers go when their big machines need fine-tuning.

Completing his fourth year as a small-business man, Fullerton, a former U.S. Marine, says he became fascinated by machinery, particularly lawn mowers, when he was just a child.

In his office hangs a drawing he did in Grade 1 -- which his mother saved -- of a person pushing a mower next to some green bushes.

"That had to be the start," he muses. " For as long as I can remember, I was interested in machinery. I can't explain the fascination. I just loved anything that made noise and had moving parts."

After four years running his own shop, Fullerton, whose wife is expecting baby twins "any moment," has watched business grow by "about a third every year" to the point that he must decide whether to hire another mechanic or counter person.

He says he is the smallest of the handful of area businesses that work on yard equipment. A few, he said, prefer to mostly repair what they sell.

"Some even send me work they don't want to do. Fred and I try to fix anything."

Fred is mechanic Fred Walsh, Fullerton's only employee.

But here's a caveat he stands by: He'll tell customers up front after checking their equipment whether it is worth repairing or better to buy new.

One of the reasons business may be expanding is the use of 10 percent ethanol in gasoline, he says. While much has been made of damage to outboard motors by the new gasoline, Fullerton said lawn mowers are having similar problems of carburetor buildups.

"We put some gas in a bottle one day and let is set out. It got cloudy and you could see the water settling on the bottom," he said.

Fullerton concentrates on repairs mostly, but he does sell lines of lawn mowers, one push mower for homeowners "because they asked me to" and another for professionals with whom he has established rapport.

He says he and Walsh repair an average of 35 mowers a week, servicing others, sharpening and selling new blades and replacing or sharpening chain saw chains, working on weed whackers and trimmers.

While he'll try to fix anything a customer might bring in, he'll tell them in the case of some electric products that it would be cheaper to purchase new.

"That's the reason I think we're doing so well. We'll fix anything nobody else will touch and we're bent on customer service. At least we'll always take a look," Fullerton said. He repairs power washer engines but not the pumps. "In some cases it's cheaper to just buy new."

Fullerton said customers fancy talking to the mechanic who is working on their equipment. He prefers that kind of personal touch himself, even if it takes time away from repairs. "Low overhead lets me keep prices down too," he says.

This is his busiest time of year, but he says he can get repairs out of the shop sooner than bigger operations. "We try to keep it no more than 10 days to two weeks or less" he says.

"Sometimes new customers come in and want to know how soon we can do it. If we say two weeks, some will just leave and go everyplace else." He pauses. "Then they come back."

Fullerton credits the owners of two established businesses with helping him make the move from employee to business owner.

"Rick Robinson (of Bradford's Ace Hardware on Main Street, Hyannis,) had run a repair shop here (ABCO Rentals) for years and had closed that part of the business. From out of the blue he offered to sell the building to me."

Fullerton had worked for Robinson at ABCO servicing equipment when he was in high school. "He said he wanted to see me get back in the trade under my own steam. He took good care of me," Fullerton said.

"At the time I was an oil burner serviceman for Carl Riedell (Plumbing and Heating of Osterville) and I was happy in that job. He is a great guy to work for. But when I told him of this opportunity, he said, 'Go for it and if you ever need your job, just come back.'"

"I started from ground zero, and it snowballed," Fullerton, his hands stained by oil and grease, said while taking a break in the shop crammed with equipment needing his attention.

Fullerton joined the Marines after high school then became an auto mechanic on Volkswagens and Audi

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